Verses 1, 2, 3
वसू॑ रु॒द्रा पु॑रु॒मंतू॑ वृ॒धंता॑ दश॒स्यतं॑ नो वृषणाव॒भिष्टौ॑ । दस्रा॑ ह॒ यद्रेक्ण॑ औच॒थ्यो वां॒ प्र यत्स॒स्राथे॒ अक॑वाभिरू॒ती ॥
vásū rudrā́ purumántū vṛdhántā daśasyátam no vṛṣaṇāvabhíṣṭau ǀ dásrā ha yádrékṇa aucathyó vām prá yátsasrā́the ákavābhirūtī́ ǁ
को वां॑ दाशत्सुम॒तये॑ चिद॒स्यै वसू॒ यद्धेथे॒ नम॑सा प॒दे गोः । जि॒गृ॒तम॒स्मे रे॒वतीः॒ पुरं॑धीः काम॒प्रेणे॑व॒ मन॑सा॒ चरं॑ता ॥
kó vām dāśatsumatáye cidasyái vásū yáddhéthe námasā padé góḥ ǀ jigṛtámasmé revátīḥ púraṃdhīḥ kāmapréṇeva mánasā cárantā ǁ
यु॒क्तो ह॒ यद्वां॑ तौ॒ग्र्याय॑ पे॒रुर्वि मध्ये॒ अर्ण॑सो॒ धायि॑ प॒ज्रः । उप॑ वा॒मवः॑ शर॒णं ग॑मेयं॒ शूरो॒ नाज्म॑ प॒तय॑द्भि॒रेवैः॑ ॥
yuktó ha yádvām taugryā́ya perúrví mádhye árṇaso dhā́yi pajráḥ ǀ úpa vāmávaḥ śaraṇám gameyam śū́ro nā́jma patáyadbhirévaiḥ ǁ
In these opening verses, the sage calls urgently upon the Aśvins—the divine twin physicians of the cosmos, renowned for their swift healings and rescue missions. He addresses them as 'Vasū' and 'Rudrā,' recognizing their dual nature as givers of wealth and fierce redeemers from distress. The Ṛṣi recalls past miracles, specifically invoking their intervention for Taugrya (Bhujyu), who was cast into the midst of the swirling waters and rescued by their unfailing boat. By reminding the Aśvins of these great acts, the sage seeks their protective shelter for himself, praying that they come swiftly with their life-sustaining grace to alleviate his suffering. The mood here is one of desperate supplication mixed with deep reverence. The sage, weighed down by physical decay and peril, approaches the divine threshold with an offering of praise, treating it as the sacred 'footprint of the cow'—a symbol of supreme value and spiritual nourishment. He asks the Aśvins to awaken their bounty toward him, yearning for that luminous, overflowing understanding that fulfills all noble desires.
Verse 1: O generous and fierce Aśvins, bestowers of treasure, grow in our praise; ye mighty ones, grant us your blessings. O Dasras, whatever wealth the descendant of Ucathya offers you, may you swiftly come with your ungrudging assistances.
Verse 2: Who among men, O you treasures, shall worship you with true devotion at the footprint of the cow? Awaken for us rich and manifold wisdom, moving towards us like a mind driven by desire.
Verse 3: Swiftly, indeed, was your swift bark yoked for the son of Tugra, when it was established in the midst of the waters. May I reach your shelter, O Aśvins, like a hero borne onward by fleet courses.
Sāyaṇa interprets these verses literally as historical and mythological references to the rescue of Bhujyu and the supplications of the blind sage Dīrghatamas (son of Ucathya). Mystically, Sri Aurobindo views the waters as the chaotic subconscious ocean of existence, and the Aśvins as the divine energies lifting the seeker into higher states of truth and consciousness.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| वसूम | vasū | dwelling together / bestowers of wealth |
| रुद्रा | rudrā | roarers / fierce ones / healers |
| दस्रा | dasrā | marvel-workers / wonder-doers |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| सुमतये | sumataye | for good understanding / grace |
| नमसा | namasā | with reverence / bowing |
| गोः | goḥ | of the cow / of light or speech |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| तौग्र्याय | taugryāya | for the son of Tugra (Bhujyu) |
| अर्णसः | arṇasaḥ | of the flood / waters |
| शरणम् | śaraṇam | refuge / shelter |
Imagine two swift physicians arriving in a luminous chariot right at the edge of a stormy ocean to pull a drowning sailor to safety.
Verses 4, 5, 6
उप॑स्तुतिरौच॒थ्यमु॑रुष्ये॒न्मा मामि॒मे प॑त॒त्रिणी॒ वि दु॑ग्धां । मा मामेधो॒ दश॑तयश्चि॒तो धा॒क् प्र यद्वां॑ ब॒द्धस्त्मनि॒ खाद॑ति॒ क्षां ॥
úpastutiraucathyámuruṣyenmā́ mā́mimé patatríṇī ví dugdhām ǀ mā́ mā́médho dáśatayaścitó dhāk prá yádvām baddhástmáni khā́dati kṣā́m ǁ
न मा॑ गरन्न॒द्यो॑ मा॒तृत॑मा दा॒सा यदीं॒ सुस॑मुब्धम॒वाधुः॑ । शिरो॒ यद॑स्य त्रैत॒नो वि॒तक्ष॑त्स्व॒यं दा॒स उरो॒ अंसा॒वपि॑ ग्ध ॥
ná mā garannadyó mātṛ́tamā dāsā́ yádīm súsamubdhamavā́dhuḥ ǀ śíro yádasya traitanó vitákṣatsvayám dāsá úro áṃsāvápi gdha ǁ
दी॒र्घत॑मा मामते॒यो जु॑जु॒र्वान्द॑श॒मे यु॒गे । अ॒पामर्थं॑ य॒तीनां॑ ब्र॒ह्मा भ॑वति॒ सार॑थिः ॥
dīrghátamā māmateyó jujurvā́ndaśamé yugé ǀ apā́mártham yatī́nām brahmā́ bhavati sā́rathiḥ ǁ
In this powerful second movement, the narrative shifts inward and dramatically personal. The Ṛṣi Dīrghatamas cries out to be spared from a terrifying ordeal: he prays that the soaring birds (or malignant forces) do not consume him, and that the blazing fire of tenfold fuel does not destroy him while he is bound within his physical frame. He recounts a harrowing ordeal of survival, escaping the crushing depths of rivers and a brutal assault where Traitana sought to cleave his head, breast, and shoulders. The hymn culminates in one of the most poignant self-descriptions in the Ṛgveda. Dīrghatamas reveals himself as 'long-darkness' (blind), the son of Mamata, grown old and frail in the tenth age of his life. Yet, amidst this profound physical exhaustion and suffering, his spiritual identity shines forth. He is the Brahmā, the master of sacred word and prayer, who serves as the divine charioteer guiding the thirsty, striving seekers toward the ultimate goal of the waters of immortality.
Verse 4: May the hymn of praise protect the son of Ucathya; let not these winged ones tear me apart. Let not the fire of tenfold fuel consume me, while I, bound in this body, gnaw upon the earth.
Verse 5: Let not the mother-like rivers swallow me up, when the hostile ones cast me down tightly bound. When Traitana hewn asunder his head, the Dasa himself cleaved his own breast and shoulders.
Verse 6: Dīrghatamas, the son of Mamata, grown old in the tenth age of man, becomes the Brahmā and the charioteer of the Yatis, guiding them to the goal of the waters.
Traditional commentaries recount that Dīrghatamas was cast into a river by his jealous kinsmen and subjected to extreme trials, surviving through divine grace. Symbolically, the tenth age represents the culmination of a vast cycle of human experience, where the limitations of mortal aging give way to the timeless mastery of the inner Priest (Brahmā).
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| औचथ्यम् | aucathyam | the son of Ucathya (Dīrghatamas) |
| पतत्रिणी | patatriṇī | two winged creatures / birds |
| क्षाम् | kṣām | the earth / ground |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| मातृजमाः | mātṛtamāḥ | most mother-like (rivers) |
| त्रैतनः | traitanaḥ | the son of Trita / Traitana |
| दासः | dāsaḥ | foe / demon / Dasa |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| दीर्घतमः | dīrghatamaḥ | Long-Darkness (the sage's name) |
| मामतेयः | māmateyaḥ | son of Mamata |
| सारथिः | sārathiḥ | charioteer / guide |
Picture an ancient sage sitting by a sacred river, weighed down by time and trial, yet holding the reins of cosmic wisdom as an enlightened charioteer.